Editing Dean Martin (section)

==Career==
===Teaming with Jerry Lewis===
{{Main|Martin and Lewis}}[[File:Lewis and Martin.jpg|thumb|left|Martin with [[Jerry Lewis]] in 1950]]
<!-- [[File:Dean Martin Jerry Lewis 1955 Colgate Comedy Hour.JPG|right|thumb|Martin and Lewis in 1955]] -->
Martin attracted the attention of [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] and [[Columbia Pictures]], but a Hollywood contract was not forthcoming. Martin met comic [[Jerry Lewis]] at the [[Belmont Plaza Hotel]] in New York City in August 1944.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7hgQRVaWL-gC&dq=dean+martin+jerry+lewis+glass+hat+club+1945&pg=PA125|title=Ladies Or Gentlemen - A Pictorial History of Male Cross-dressing in the Movies|author=Ginibre, Jean-Louis|isbn=9781933231044|publisher=Filipacchi|year=2005|page=125}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Krutnik, Frank|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m3lZAAAAMAAJ&q=dean+martin+glass+hat|title=Inventing Jerry Lewis|isbn=9781560983699|year=2000|publisher=Smithsonian|page=40}}</ref> According to Lewis, the two men met initially in the lobby, where Martin approached him and said, "Hey, I saw your act, you're a funny kid."<ref name="Svehla"/> Martin was singing at the hotel's famous Glass Hat Club at the time and the two happened to be on the same bill.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8b1mDwAAQBAJ&dq=dean+martin+glass+hat&pg=PT20|title=Side By Side: Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis On TV and Radio|author=Hayde, Michael J.|date=July 27, 2018 |publisher=BearManor Media|page=20}}</ref><ref name="Svehla">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3M1SDwAAQBAJ&dq=dean+martin+glass+hat&pg=PT120|author=Svehla, Gary J.|title=Guilty Pleasures of the Horror Film|publisher=Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media|page=120|year=1996}}</ref> [[Martin and Lewis]] formed a fast friendship which led to their participation in each other's acts and the formation of a music-comedy team. Their debut together occurred at [[Atlantic City, New Jersey|Atlantic City]]'s [[500 Club]] on July 24, 1946, and they were not well received. The owner, [[Skinny D'Amato]], warned them that if they did not come up with a better act for their second show that night, they would be fired. Huddling in the alley behind the club, Lewis and Martin agreed to "go for broke", they divided their act between songs, skits, and ad-libbed material.<ref>Ambalal, Monica. The Grove Dictionary of American Music, 2nd edition. University of Michigan. Oxford University Press, Inc. 2013</ref> Martin sang and Lewis dressed as a busboy, dropping plates and making a shambles of Martin's performance and the club's decorum until Lewis was chased from the room as Martin pelted him with bread rolls.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kehr |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Kehr |date=August 20, 2017 |title=Jerry Lewis, a Jester Both Silly and Stormy, Dies at 91 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/20/movies/jerry-lewis-dead-celebrated-comedian-and-filmmaker.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=August 20, 2017}}</ref>

They performed [[slapstick]], reeled off old [[vaudeville]] jokes and did whatever else popped into their heads; the audience laughed. This success led to a series of well-paying engagements on the Eastern seaboard, culminating in a run at New York's [[Copacabana (nightclub)|Copacabana]]. The act consisted of Lewis interrupting and heckling Martin while he was trying to sing, with the two ultimately chasing each other around the stage. The secret, both said, is that they ignored the audience and played to each other. The team made its television debut on the first broadcast of CBS-TV network's ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' (then called ''The Toast Of The Town'') on June 20, 1948, with composers [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]] also appearing. Hoping to improve their act, the two hired young comedy writers [[Norman Lear]] and Ed Simmons to write their bits.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/features/norman-lear-recalls-early-days-as-tv-comedy-writer-1201629371/ |title=Norman Lear Looks Back on Early Days as TV Comedy Writer |first=Tim |last=Gray |date=October 30, 2015 |newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> With the assistance of both Lear and Simmons, the two would take their act beyond nightclubs.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgoEAAAAMBAJ&q=%2252g+to+simmons%22&pg=PA12-IA1| page=12| title=52G to Simmons, Lear to Do Five Martin-Lewis Shows| date=October 31, 1953| magazine=Billboard| via=Google Books}}</ref>

A [[The Martin and Lewis Show (radio program)|radio series]] began in 1949, the year Martin and Lewis signed with [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] producer [[Hal B. Wallis]] as comedy relief for the movie ''[[My Friend Irma (film)|My Friend Irma]]''. Their agent, Abby Greshler, negotiated one of Hollywood's best deals: although they received only $75,000 between them for their films with Wallis, Martin and Lewis were free to do one outside film a year, which they would co-produce through their own York Productions.{{sfn|Tosches|1992|p=208}}

They also controlled their club, record, radio, and television appearances, and through these they earned millions of dollars. In ''Dean & Me'', Lewis calls Martin one of the great comic geniuses of all time. They were friends, as well, with Lewis acting as best man when Martin remarried in 1949.

But harsh comments from critics, as well as frustration with the similarity of Martin and Lewis movies, which producer Hal Wallis refused to change, led to Martin's dissatisfaction.{{sfn|Lewis|Kaplan|2005|p=223}} He put less enthusiasm into the work.

Martin soldiered on during the production of the Martin & Lewis feature ''[[3 Ring Circus]]'' (1954), when a publicity photo of Martin, Lewis, and actress [[Sheree North]] was published on the cover of ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]'' magazine. Martin was shocked to see Lewis and North pictured but Martin cropped off the page. The team's publicity manager, Jack Keller, remembered Martin walking on the set "with a copy of ''Look'' and he threw it right in my face and called me every vile name he could think of."<ref>Jack Keller to Richard Gehman, ''That Kid: The Story of Jerry Lewis'', Avon, 1964.</ref> Lewis recalled Martin "saying he was fed up to the ears playing a stooge. One morning he arrived an hour late on the set and stared daggers at me. 'Anytime you wanta call it quits, just let me know.'"<ref>Jerry Lewis, ''Jerry Lewis in Person'', Atheneum, 1982.</ref> Martin was chagrined by the situation: "Why the hell should I come in on time? There's not a damn thing for me to do."<ref>James L. Neibaur and [[Ted Okuda]], ''The Jerry Lewis Films'', McFarland, 1995, p. 95.</ref>

In later years Martin reflected on the working conditions during ''3 Ring Circus'': "There was no sense of me being in that picture at all. The picture was on 35 minutes before I sang one song. Then it was an old one, 'It's a Big, Wide Wonderful World', and I sang it to animals."<ref>''The Jerry Lewis Films'', p. 117.</ref>

Martin lived up to his contract and remained with Lewis until the agreement expired on July 25, 1956, 10 years to the day from the first teaming.<ref>{{cite news |title=Martin & Lewis breakup recalled |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-oct-19-et-quick19.3-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 19, 2005 |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref>

===Solo career===
[[File:John Wayne and Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson in 'Rio Bravo', 1959.jpg|thumb|right|upright|{{center|Theatrical poster}}]]
[[File:Howard Hawks'Rio Bravo trailer (29).jpg|thumb|right|upright|With [[John Wayne]] in ''[[Rio Bravo (film)|Rio Bravo]]'' (1959)]]
[[File:Dean Martin - Rio Bravo 1959.jpg|thumb|right|upright|''Rio Bravo'' (1959)]]
Martin's first solo film, ''[[Ten Thousand Bedrooms]]'' (1957), was a box-office failure.<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |author-link=Bosley Crowther |date=April 4, 1957 |title=Screen: Solo by Martin; Singer Is Seen at State Without Jerry Lewis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/04/04/archives/screen-solo-by-martin-singer-is-seen-at-state-without-jerry-lewis.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> Although "[[Nel blu, dipinto di blu (song)#Volare (Dean Martin)|Volare]]" reached number 15 in the U.S. and number 2 in the UK, the era of the pop [[crooner]] was waning with the advent of [[rock and roll]]. Martin wanted to become a dramatic actor, known for more than slapstick comedy films. Though offered a fraction of his former salary to co-star in a war drama, ''[[The Young Lions (film)|The Young Lions]]'' (1958), Martin's part would be with [[Marlon Brando]] and [[Montgomery Clift]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=April 3, 1958 |title=Irwin Shaw's 'Young Lions'; War Story Is Offered at the Paramount Brando, Martin and Clift Are Starred |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/04/03/archives/irwin-shaws-young-lions-war-story-is-offered-at-the-paramount.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> [[Tony Randall]] already had the part, but talent agency MCA realized that with this film, Martin would become a triple threat: they could make money from his work in nightclubs, films, and records. Randall was paid off to relinquish the role, Martin replaced him and the film turned out to be the beginning of Martin's comeback.{{sfn|Tosches|1992|pp=299–300}} He starred alongside [[Frank Sinatra]] for the first time in the [[Vincente Minnelli]] drama, ''[[Some Came Running (1958 film)|Some Came Running]]'' (1958).<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=January 23, 1959 |title=The Screen: James Jones' 'Some Came Running'; Sinatra, Dean Martin Star at Music Hall Post-War Indiana Tale Directed by Minnelli |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/01/23/archives/the-screen-james-jones-some-came-running-sinatra-dean-martin-star.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref>

By the mid-1960s, Martin was a movie, recording, television, and nightclub star. He was known as Dude in ''[[Rio Bravo (film)|Rio Bravo]]'' (1959), directed by [[Howard Hawks]] and also starring [[John Wayne]] and singer [[Ricky Nelson]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Weiler |first=A. H. |author-link=A. H. Weiler |date=March 19, 1959 |title=Texas Border Town |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/03/19/archives/texas-border-town.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> Martin teamed again with Wayne in ''[[The Sons of Katie Elder]]'' (1965), cast as brothers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Howard |author-link=Howard Thompson (film critic) |date=August 26, 1965 |title=Sons of Katie Elder' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/08/26/archives/sons-of-katie-elder.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> In 1960, Martin was cast in the film version of the [[Judy Holliday]] stage musical comedy ''[[Bells Are Ringing (musical)|Bells Are Ringing]]''.{{sfn|Tosches|1992|p=318}} He won a [[Golden Globe]] nomination for his performance in the 1960 film comedy ''[[Who Was That Lady?]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Howard |date=April 16, 1960 |title=Screen: Romantic Farce:Criterion Offers 'Who Was That Lady?' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/04/16/archives/screen-romantic-farcecriterion-offers-who-was-that-lady.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/who-was-lady |title=Who Was That Lady? |website=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> but continued to seek dramatic roles, portraying a Southern politician in 1961's ''[[Ada (1961 film)|Ada]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Schumach |first=Murray |date=February 17, 1961 |title=Set of 'Ada' Film Is Not All Work – Dean Martin and Daniel Mann, Director, Provide Some Light Moments |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/02/17/archives/set-of-ada-film-is-not-all-work-dean-martin-and-daniel-mann.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> and starring in 1963's screen adaptation of an intense stage drama, ''[[Toys in the Attic (1963 film)|Toys in the Attic]]'', opposite [[Geraldine Page]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=August 1, 1963 |title=The Screen: 'Toys in the Attic' Opens:Scenario Is From Play by Lillian Hellman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/08/01/archives/the-screen-toys-in-the-attic-opensscenario-is-from-play-by-lillian.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> as well as in 1970's drama ''[[Airport (1970 film)|Airport]]'' with [[Burt Lancaster]], a huge box-office success.<ref>{{cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |author-link=Vincent Canby |date=March 6, 1970 |title=The Screen: Multi-Plot, Multi-Star 'Airport' Opens:Lancaster and Martin in Principal Roles Adaptation of Hailey's Novel at Music Hall |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/03/06/archives/the-screen-multiplot-multistar-airport-openslancaster-and-martin-in.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref>

Sinatra and Martin teamed up for several more movies, the crime caper ''[[Ocean's 11]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=August 11, 1960 |title=The Screen: 'Ocean's 11':Sinatra Heads Flippant Team of Crime |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/08/11/archives/the-screen-oceans-11sinatra-heads-flippant-team-of-crime.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> the musical ''[[Robin and the 7 Hoods]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=August 6, 1964 |title=Screen: A Musical Farce:' Robin and the 7 Hoods' at Local Theaters |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/06/archives/screen-a-musical-farce-robin-and-the-7-hoods-at-local-theaters.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> and the Western comedies ''[[Sergeants 3]]''<ref>{{cite news |last=Weiler |first=A. H. |date=February 12, 1962 |title=Screen: 'Sergeants 3' Opens at Capitol:Sinatra and Some of the Clan in Western Film Called a Version of 1939 'Gunga Din' The Cast |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/02/12/archives/screen-sergeants-3-opens-at-capitolsinatra-and-some-of-the-clan-in.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> and ''[[4 for Texas]]'', with their Rat Pack pals such as [[Sammy Davis, Jr.]], [[Peter Lawford]], and [[Joey Bishop]], as well as a romantic comedy, ''[[Marriage on the Rocks]]''.{{sfn|Tosches|1992|p=371}} Martin also co-starred with [[Shirley MacLaine]] in a number of films, including ''Some Came Running'', ''[[Artists and Models]]'', ''[[Career (1959 film)|Career]]'', ''[[All in a Night's Work (film)|All in a Night's Work]]'', and ''[[What a Way to Go!]]''{{sfn|Tosches|1992|pp=284, 308, 314, 330, 356}} He played a satiric variation of his own womanizing persona as Las Vegas singer "Dino" in [[Billy Wilder]]'s comedy ''[[Kiss Me, Stupid]]'' (1964) with [[Kim Novak]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Weiler |first=A. H. |date=December 23, 1964 |title=Kiss Me, Stupid' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/12/23/archives/kiss-me-stupid.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> and Martin poked fun at his image in films such as the ''[[Matt Helm]]'' spy [[parody|spoofs]] of the 1960s,{{sfn|Tosches|1992|p=366}} in which he was a co-producer. In the third Matt Helm film ''[[The Ambushers (film)|The Ambushers]]'' (1967), Helm, about to be executed, receives a last cigarette and tells the provider, "I'll remember you from the great beyond", continuing ''[[sotto voce]]'', "somewhere around Steubenville, I hope".

As a singer, Martin copied the styles of Harry Mills (of the [[Mills Brothers]]), [[Bing Crosby]], and [[Perry Como]] until he developed his own and could hold his own in duets with Sinatra and Crosby. Like Sinatra, Martin could not read music,<ref name="Chilton telegraph">{{cite news |last=Chilton |first=Martin |date=December 24, 2015 |title=Dean Martin: the man whose voice captured Christmas |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/dean-martin-the-man-whose-voice-captured-christmas/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/dean-martin-the-man-whose-voice-captured-christmas/ |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |access-date=December 26, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> but he recorded 35 studio albums and over 550 songs. His signature tune, "[[Everybody Loves Somebody]]", knocked [[the Beatles]]' "[[A Hard Day's Night (song)|A Hard Day's Night]]" off number one in the United States in 1964.<ref name="BB8164">"[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1964/Billboard%201964-08-01.pdf Pop-Standard Singles]". ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. August 1, 1964. p. 43. Accessed September 21, 2016.</ref> This was followed by "The Door is Still Open to My Heart",<ref>[http://www.billboard.com/artist/300598/dean-martin/chart?f=379 Dean Martin - Chart History - The Hot 100], ''Billboard''. Accessed September 18, 2016.</ref> which reached number six that year. [[Elvis Presley]] was said to have been a fan of Martin, and patterned his performance of "[[Love Me Tender (song)|Love Me Tender]]" after Martin's style. Martin, like Elvis, was influenced by [[country music]]. By 1965, some of Martin's albums, such as ''[[Dean "Tex" Martin Rides Again]]'', ''[[Houston (album)|Houston]],'' ''[[Welcome to My World (Dean Martin album)|Welcome to My World]]'', and ''[[Gentle on My Mind (Dean Martin album)|Gentle on My Mind]]'', were composed of country and western songs by artists such as [[Johnny Cash]], [[Merle Haggard]], and [[Buck Owens]].<ref name="Chilton telegraph"/> Martin hosted country performers on his TV show and was named "Man Of the Year" by the [[Country Music Association]] in 1966.<ref name="Chilton telegraph"/> The final album of his recording career was 1983's ''[[The Nashville Sessions (Dean Martin album)|The Nashville Sessions]]''.{{sfn|Tosches|1992|p=427}}

The image of Martin as a Vegas entertainer in a tuxedo has been an enduring one. "[[Ain't That a Kick in the Head?]]", a song Martin performed in ''[[Ocean's 11 (1960 film)|Ocean's 11]]'', did not become a hit at the time, but has enjoyed a revival in the media and pop culture and has been his most frequently played song in media for two decades.<ref>{{cite magazine| last1=Mott| first1=Patrick| title=The Dean of Las Vegas| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pwQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16|access-date=July 23, 2024| journal=[[Orange Coast (magazine)|Orange Coast]]| issue=2| date=February 2000| volume=26}}</ref> For three decades, Martin was among the most popular acts in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], where he sang and was a comedian, benefiting from the decade of comedy with Lewis. Martin's daughter, Gail, also sang in Vegas and on many TV shows including his, co-hosting his summer replacement series on NBC. Daughter [[Deana Martin]] continues to perform, as did youngest son [[Ricci Martin]] until his death in August 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCracken |first=Elizabeth |date=December 21, 2016 |title=Frank Sinatra Jr. and Ricci Martin, Sons of Famous Fathers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/21/magazine/the-lives-they-lived-frank-sinatra-jr-ricci-martin.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> Eldest son Craig was a producer on Martin's television show and daughter Claudia was an actress in films such as ''[[For Those Who Think Young (film)|For Those Who Think Young]]''.{{sfn|Tosches|1992|p=352}} Though thought of as promiscuous, Martin spent much time with his family; as second wife Jeanne put it, prior to the couple's divorce, "He was home every night for dinner."<ref>{{cite news |last=Rife |first=Susan |date=February 13, 2005 |title=A daughter looks back on her famous father's life |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2005/02/13/a-daughter-looks-back-on-her-famous-fathers-life/28835003007/ |newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]] |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref>

===Rat Pack===
{{Main|Rat Pack}}
[[File:Cal-Neva Casino, NV, Lake Tahoe, The Rat Pack 9-2010 (5782322671).jpg|alt=The Rat Pack at the Cal-Neva Casino. From left to right: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop.|thumb|The Rat Pack at the Sands Casino. From left to right: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop.]]

As Martin's solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became friends. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Martin and Sinatra, along with friends [[Joey Bishop]], [[Peter Lawford]], and [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], formed the Rat Pack, so-called after an earlier group of social friends, the [[Holmby Hills, Los Angeles|Holmby Hills]] Rat Pack centered on [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[Lauren Bacall]], of which Sinatra had been a member (The Martin-Sinatra-Davis-Lawford-Bishop group referred to themselves as "The Summit" or "The Clan" and never as "The Rat Pack", although this has remained their identity in popular imagination). The men made films together, formed part of the Hollywood social scene, and were politically influential (through Lawford's marriage to Patricia Kennedy, sister of President [[John F. Kennedy]]).<ref>{{cite news |last=Fessier |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Fessier |date=October 20, 2015 |title='Brother-in-Lawford' was Sinatra's key to White House |url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/2015/10/20/brother-lawford-sinatras-key-white-house/74286532/ |newspaper=[[The Desert Sun]] |location=Palm Springs |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref>

The Rat Pack was legendary for its [[Las Vegas Strip]] performances. For example, the marquee at the [[Sands Hotel and Casino|Sands Hotel]] might read "DEAN MARTIN—MAYBE FRANK—MAYBE SAMMY". Their appearances were valuable because the city would flood with wealthy gamblers. Their act (always in tuxedo) consisted of each singing individual numbers, duets and trios, along with seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter. In the socially charged 1960s, their jokes revolved around adult themes, such as Sinatra's womanizing and Martin's drinking, as well as Davis's race and religion. Sinatra and Martin supported the civil rights movement and refused to perform in clubs that would not allow black American or Jewish performers.<ref name="FRANKSINATRA-NANCY">{{cite book| last=Sinatra| first=Nancy| title=Frank Sinatra: An American Legend| year=1998| url=https://archive.org/details/franksinatraamer00sina/page/156/mode/2up| publisher=General Publishing Group| location=Santa Monica| isbn=978-1-8816-4968-7| page=156| url-access=registration}}</ref> Posthumously, the Rat Pack has experienced a popular revival, inspiring the [[George Clooney]]/[[Brad Pitt]] ''[[Ocean's Trilogy]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Horton |first=Oliver |date=January 26, 2002 |title=A Youthful Revival of Rat Pack Style |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/26/news/a-youthful-revival-of-rat-pack-style.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref>

===''The Dean Martin Show''===
{{Main|The Dean Martin Show}}
[[File:Dean Martin Florence Henderson 1968.jpg|thumb|right|Martin and [[Florence Henderson]] in ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]'' (1968)]]
In 1965, Martin launched his weekly [[NBC]] comedy-variety series, ''The Dean Martin Show'', which ran for 264 episodes until 1974. He won a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy]] in 1966 and was nominated again the following three years.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/tv-show/dean-martin-show |title=Dean Martin Show, The |website=Golden Globe Awards |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> The show exploited his image as a carefree boozer. Martin capitalized on his laid-back persona of the half-drunk [[crooner]], inappropriately hitting on women, and making snappy if slurred remarks about fellow celebrities during his [[Roast (comedy)|roasts]]. During an interview on the British TV documentary ''Wine, Women and Song'', aired in 1983, Martin stated, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, that he had someone record them on cassette tape so he could listen to them. Martin's TV show was a success. The show's loose format featured quick-witted [[improvisation]] from Martin and his weekly guests. This prompted a battle between Martin and NBC censors, who insisted on more scrutiny of the content. He later had trouble with NBC for his off-the-cuff use of obscene Italian phrases, which brought complaints from viewers who spoke the language. The show was often in the Top Ten. Martin, appreciative of the show's producer, his friend [[Greg Garrison (television producer)|Greg Garrison]], made a handshake deal giving Garrison, a pioneer TV producer in the 1950s, 50% of the show. However, the validity of that ownership is the subject of a lawsuit brought by [[NBCUniversal]].

Despite Martin's reputation as a drinker—perpetuated via his [[Vanity plate|vanity license plate]] "DRUNKY"—his alcohol use was quite [[discipline]]d.{{sfn|Tosches|1992|p=198}} Martin was the first to call it a night and, when not on tour or on a film location, liked to go home to see his family.<ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=Susan |date=December 25, 2015 |title=Newsletter: Classic Hollywood: What was Dean Martin really drinking? |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/classichollywood/la-et-mn-classic-hollywood-newsletter-dean-martin-20151225-html-htmlstory.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> Martin borrowed the lovable-drunk [[shtick]] from [[Joe E. Lewis]], but his convincing portrayals of heavy boozers in ''[[Some Came Running (film)|Some Came Running]]'' and Howard Hawks' ''[[Rio Bravo (film)|Rio Bravo]]'' led to unsubstantiated claims of alcoholism. Martin starred in and co-produced four [[Matt Helm]] [[spy film|superspy]] comedy adventures during this time, as well as a number of [[Westerns]]. By the early 1970s, ''The Dean Martin Show'' was still earning solid ratings, and although he was no longer a Top 40 hitmaker, his record albums continued to sell. He found a way to make his passion for golf profitable by offering a signature line of golf balls, and the [[Dean Martin Tucson Open]] was an event on golf's [[PGA Tour]] from 1972 to 1975. At his death, Martin was reportedly the single largest minority shareholder of RCA stock.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

Martin began reducing his schedule once comfortable financially. The final (1973–1974) season of his variety show was retooled into one of celebrity [[Roast (comedy)|roasts]], requiring less involvement. In the roasts, Martin and his panel of pals made fun of a variety of popular entertainment, athletic, and political figures.{{sfn|Tosches|1992|pp=413–414}} After the show's cancellation, NBC continued to air ''[[The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast]]'' as a series of TV specials through 1984.{{sfn|Tosches|1992|p=517}}

===Later career===
[[File:Dean Martin portrait (from Ada trailer).jpg|thumb|upright|right|Martin in the film ''[[Ada (1961 film)|Ada]]'' (1961)]]
For nearly a decade, Martin had recorded as many as four albums a year for [[Reprise Records]]. Martin recorded his final Reprise album, ''[[Once in a While (Dean Martin album)|Once in a While]]'', in 1974, which was not issued until 1978. His final recordings were made for [[Warner Bros. Records]]. ''[[The Nashville Sessions (Dean Martin album)|The Nashville Sessions]]'' was released in 1983, from which he had a hit with "(I Think That I Just Wrote) My First Country Song", which was recorded with [[Conway Twitty]] and made a respectable showing on the country charts. A follow-up single, "L.A. Is My Home"/"Drinking Champagne", came in 1985. The 1974 film drama ''[[Mr. Ricco]]'' marked Martin's final starring role, in which he played a criminal defense lawyer.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}

In 1972, Martin filed for divorce from his second wife, Jeanne. A week later, his business partnership with the [[Riviera (hotel and casino)|Riviera]] hotel in [[Las Vegas]] dissolved amid reports of the casino's refusal to agree to Martin's request to perform only once a night. Martin joined the [[MGM Grand Hotel and Casino]], where he was the featured performer on the hotel's opening night of December 23, 1973, and Martin's contract required him to star in a film (''Mr. Ricco'') for [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] studios.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Martin also made a public reconciliation with Lewis on his [[The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon|partner's Labor Day telethon]], benefiting the [[Muscular Dystrophy Association]], in September 1976. Sinatra shocked Lewis by bringing Martin out on stage and as the two men embraced, the audience gave them a [[standing ovation]] and the phones lit up, resulting in one of the telethon's most profitable years up to that time. Lewis later reported the event was one of the three most memorable of his life. Lewis quipped, "So, you working?" Martin, playing drunk, replied that he was appearing "at the 'Meggum{{'"}} (meaning the MGM Grand Hotel). This, with the death of Martin's son [[Dean Paul Martin]] more than a decade later, helped bring the two men together. They maintained a quiet friendship, but only performed again once, on Martin's 72nd birthday in 1989.<ref name="Talevski">{{cite book| last=Talevski| first=Nick| title=Knocking on Heaven's Door: Rock Obituaries| date=April 7, 2010| publisher=Omnibus Press| isbn=978-1-84609-091-2| page=399| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC&q=dean+paul+martin}}</ref>

Martin returned to films briefly with appearances in the star-laden, critically panned but commercially successful ''[[The Cannonball Run]]'' and its sequel ''[[Cannonball Run II]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |date=June 20, 1981 |title='Cannonball Run' With Burt Reynolds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/20/movies/cannonball-run-with-burt-reynolds.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |date=June 29, 1984 |title=SCREEN: Burt Reynolds In 'Cannonball Run II' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/29/movies/screen-burt-reynolds-in-cannonball-run-ii.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> He also had a minor hit single with "[[Since I Met You Baby (song)|Since I Met You Baby]]" and made his first music video, which appeared on [[MTV]] and was created by Martin's youngest son, Ricci. On March 21, 1987, Martin's son, actor [[Dean Paul Martin]] (formerly Dino of the 1960s "[[teenybopper|teeny-bopper]]" rock group [[Dino, Desi & Billy]]), died when his [[F-4 Phantom II]] jet fighter crashed while flying with the [[California Air National Guard]]. Martin's grief over his son's death left him depressed and demoralized. Lewis stated in an on-stage interview in 2005 that subsequent to his son's death Martin became a reclusive alcoholic.<ref>{{cite news |last=Berlo |first=Beth |date=November 1, 2005 |title= Jerry Lewis talks about his career and friendship with Dean Martin |url= https://www.bu.edu/articles/2005/jerry-lewis-talks-about-his-career-and-friendship-with-dean-martin/ |work=BU Today|access-date=December 20, 2021}}</ref> Later, a tour with Davis and Sinatra in 1988, undertaken in part to help Martin recover, sputtered.<ref>{{cite news |last=Reed |first=J.D. |date=January 8, 1996 |title=Burden of Sorrow |url=https://people.com/archive/burden-of-sorrow-vol-45-no-1/ |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref>